AN/ Gahh It's been a long, long, long while, ne? I wasn't sure whether to continue or not, but with all the lovely reviews I got, I thought I'd give it a shot
This is a bit more Ryou centred, but still with it's Yami and Yugi goodness And apologies for the stupidly long wait.
Yugi had been crying, Ryou observed as Yugi and Yami came and sat down next to him. He hadn't noticed anything too unusual about Yugi's behaviour up until now, he seemed the same sweet and cheerful person that he usually was. Yet he was quieter than usual and sticking very close to Yami.
I wonder why he's been crying? Ryou thought distantly, handing the pair some towels It's not like Yugi to get upset so easily.
Don't concern yourself over the Pharaoh's brat
Ryou jumped slightly. He could hear Bakura's cruel laugh as clearly as if the yami was right there, sat next to him. He glanced round behind him just to make sure that he wasn't there.
You didn't think you could leave me behind just like that, did you?Bakura added lowly, I'll be waiting for you
Ryou didn't bother to reply, he knew that it would just make his yami angrier. Although, he was going to be pretty pissed off no matter what he did. But Ryou was a peacemaker at heart and didn't wish to stir up any more trouble than necessary.
"Hey Ryou. You okay, man?"
Ryou looked up to see Joey stood in front of him. From his dripping wet hair, he guessed that Tea must of had her revenge. He smiled slightly and nodded.
"I'm fine thanks Joey" he replied politely, "Just a little tired, that's all"
"Hey, what's that on your arm?" Joey added, taking the seat next to him "A bruise?"
Ryou glanced down suddenly, his soft brown eyes widening slightly at the purple and blue mark that decorated his pale skin. He tugged at his shirt sleeve, pulling down to cover it.
"I must have done it when I fell out of the bed the other night" he explained, "Must have hit it harder than I thought"
Yami sat up a little straighter as he heard Ryou's reply. He'd noticed the mark earlier on, when he and Yugi passed Ryou walking along the beach, but hadn't said anything at the time, not wishing to upset Yugi more.
"Some fall"
"Not really. I just bruise easily" Ryou replied, feeling his cheeks heat up, "I see Tea got her revenge then?"
Joey sweatdropped, and glanced at where she and Tristan were paddling in the water. He laughed slightly.
"Ah well... I guess she did. I ended up tripin' over Tristan and fallin' in so technically she had no part in it. But then I guess embarrassin' myself was just a bonus for her so yeah... in the short of it, she got her revenge. But not for long"
"Got any ideas?"
"None as of yet. Hey, you could help me out, right? Tea's got Tristan on her side, so that's two against one. We could so take them!"
Ryou shrugged, looking down the beach as if he was looking for someone.
"I'm not really good at those kind of things" he replied apologetically, "Yugi would be a better choice"
At the mention of his name, Yugi looked up.
"Huh?"
"That's settled then! C'mon Yug, we've got revenge on the agenda!" Joey exclaimed, standing and grabbing Yugi's arm. Yugi exchanged an amused glance with his yami before he was dragged off. Yami smiled, glancing sideways at Ryou.
"What do you want to bet that Tea and Tristan still come out on top?" he asked as Joey and Yugi entered the water. Ryou shrugged, smiling.
"Those seem like good odds" he began, "Joey can be... sort of reckless at times"
They watched as Joey started saying something to Tristan, gesturing wildly. As Tristan lunged at him, Yugi and Tea stepped back slightly, watching as the other two started fighting.
"You looked a bit troubled earlier on" Yami said suddenly, his gaze fixated ahead of him, "Is everything okay?"
Here we go, interrogation timeBakura muttered, his tone harsh. Ryou mentally sighed.
"I'm alright thanks. Just thinking"
"About Bakura?"
I wondered when my name would come upRyou heard his yami mutter, You watch what you say, hikari
"....not really. Just... about stuff in general"
"Fair enough. Just checking"
Up ahead, Tristan was holding Joey under the water, who was flailing his limbs as he struggled to escape. Yugi was trying to pull Tristan off him, but wasn't really having much success. Ryou glanced up at Yami to see an unusual gentleness in his eyes as he watched Yugi. He felt a small pang of jealousy that was quickly undermined by his natural kindness.
Jealous? Of the Pharaoh's brat? You are pathetic...
Ryou chose to ignore him, and started drifting off into his own thoughts. Bakura was pissed off, he could sense it. And to honest... he didn't really care.
Subconsciously he rubbed his bruised arm
The air was still warm as they walked down the deserted pavement towards the part of the city where they lived. A soft breeze kept ruffling Ryou's hair and caressing his skin but his eyes stayed determinedly ahead and his expression blank.When they reached the city, it was starting to get dark. As Tristan, Tea and Joey set off in one direction, Ryou, Yami and Yugi went in the other. Yami was carrying Yugi, who was still sleeping. Ryou caught the tender look in Yami's eyes as he looked down at his aibou and felt the same small pang of jealousy deep inside of him.
He won't... will he? I mean, Yami's with me now but what happens when he leaves? What if... he really hurts me this time?
Yami glanced over at the silent Ryou, surprised at the blank look on the gentle boy's face. He glanced down at the Millennium Ring that was concealed under Ryou's shirt, and then shifted his gaze to Ryou's arm, the bruise still visible in the fading light.
Ryou's lying he decided, that bruise wasn't cause by a fall. It was caused by a fist. And I think I know who's fist....
"I guess that I'll see you on Monday then"
Yami nodded, and turned to Ryou, a faint smile on his face.
"Okay" he began, when he noticed the look in Ryou's eyes, "... are you alright?"
Ryou nodded, smiling.
"I'm fine"
"If that's what you say you are...."
"I..."
"Bakura's waiting for you, isn't he?"
Ryou nodded slowly.
"He's mad at me" he sighed, "I better get going before he gets even madder. See you later"
Yami watched as Ryou's lithe figure moved down the street. He was walking a lot faster now, and kept glancing to either side of him. He was definitely nervous, Yami decided, maybe even scared. And all because of who was waiting at home for him.
The next thing he knew Bakura was stood right next to him, shoulder to shoulder. He could feel his yami's breath against his skin and he shivered slightly, not daring to breath. It always startled him to have Bakura this close to him, even though he was slowly starting to get used to his eccentric ways.He was sat there, waiting for him. As soon as Ryou had entered the room, two narrowed eyes were fixated on him, gleaming in their anger. He only held his yami's gaze for a split second before turning away, and busying himself with the pile of bills on the table.
Neither boy moved, Ryou's hands frozen in mid air. He closed his eyes, expecting an onslaught of abuse any moment. When none came, he opened his eyes to see Bakura looking down at Ryou's arm.
"Where did you get that bruise?" the yami asked, slight concern edging his harsh tone, "Who hurt my hikari?"
Ryou shivered, looking away from Bakura.
"N-no-one did. I fell out of bed the other morning...." he began, trailing off as he felt Bakura's piercing gaze on him.
Bakura snorted, and grabbed Ryou's wrist, holding his arm steady as he took a closer look at the bruise. Not that he'd ever admit it to him, but he was worried about his hikari. He had been for a while now.
"That was caused by a fist" he said simply, running his thumb over the mark, making Ryou shudder, "Still quite fresh... about.... three, four days old"
He grasped Ryou's chin, forcing the white haired boy to look at him. Ryou's eyes were shimmering with tears, but he didn't drop his gaze from Bakura's.
"Who did this to you?" Bakura repeated, his voice dangerously low, "Tell me and I'll make them wish that they were never born"
Ryou shook his head, wrenching himself away from his yami's hold. He turned away from him, his shoulders shaking as the tears slid down his face. Bakura watched for a while, before stepping behind him, and in an uncharacteristic display of emotion, wrapped his arms around his hikari's waist.
He sighed, and drew his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around himself."Are you sure?" Yugi asked doubtfully, watching as Yami paced up and down his room, "I mean, Bakura can be kind of... twisted, and evil at times, but I don't think he'd ever hurt Ryou"
"But I'm still worried. Maybe I'll talk to Ryou at school...."
Yami stopped pacing, and looked down at him, a faint smile on his lips. Yugi's eyes were still red rimmed, and his cheeks still tear stained, and Yami felt a sudden urge of affection for his hikari.
Even when he's going through hell, he can still take the time and effort to help his friends he realised suddenly. He sat down next to Yugi on the bed, and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, pulling him against him.
"...how about you?" he asked softly, "How are you feeling?"
Yugi shrugged, leaning into his yami's warmth. He closed his eyes, some of the tension seeping away from him.
"....I'm okay" he replied quickly, not opening his eyes, "....Yami?"
"Hmm?" the spirit replied, his attention fully upon his hikari. Yugi opened his eyes, which were shimmering with tears once again.
"...if my dad came back... will you protect me from him?"
Yami nodded, his embrace tightening. He leant down close to Yugi's ear, brushing away a few strands of hair as he did.
"Don't ever doubt it" he whispered, "I'll protect you from anyone and anything, aibou. You just call me... and I'll come running"
TBC?
